“Please remind Trevor Hohns that he can pick any Australian, he doesn’t have to pick from the 17,” Merriman reportedly told Sutherland. We’ll never know how close Michael Hussey got to an Ashes debut. Packer piped back: “They can’t pick a bloody club team, Martyn hasn’t made a run!”
Merriman responded: “Kerry … the selectors will pick the side.” “Get that f***ing Hussey in the side, quick,” Packer reportedly barked down the phone, according to Brettig. In an excerpt from ESPN Cricinfo reporter Daniel Brettig’s upcoming book Bradman & Packer: The Deal that Changed Cricket, former Cricket Australia chairman Bob Merriman explains how Packer tried to get Hussey to replace the struggling Damien Martyn, even though the left-hander wasn’t part of the original 17-man touring party, So clear, in fact, he felt nothing wrong with giving powerbrokers a quick phone call to demand Michael Hussey be rushed into the side.
#Kerry packer cricket south africa series#
The former Channel 9 boss’s power over cricket was clear as day, owning the sport’s sole broadcasting rights in Australia and launching the rouge World Series Cricket in the 1970s. Going into the fifth Test down 2-1, Australia was fighting tooth and nail to force a series draw and avoid going home defeated. The explosive series, often referred to as one of the greatest in cricketing history, saw England reclaim the urn for the first time in almost 20 years. The legend of Kerry Packer’s influence over the Australian cricket team has grown with the revelation the former billionaire tried to strongarm selectors into a shock change during the 2005 Ashes.
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